Natural Resource Damages & Environmental Justice
Environmental Agencies, Superfund Cleanups, and Managing Enforcement Actions
What are PFAS and Why Should We Care?
Volatile Times in Vapor Intrusion Regulation: A Legal and Technical Update
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) has announced the release of the 2025 Guidelines and Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Brownfields Remediation and Economic Development Fund Grants....more
In a unanimous decision issued on April 7, 2025 in In re Appeal of the N.J. Dep’t of Environmental Protection’s Denial of Request for Adjudicatory Hearing, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the Department of...more
On January 15, 2025, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published its “Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS)” (“Draft Risk...more
In a move much anticipated by the real estate, environmental, financial, and business communities, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) released this week its Release-Based Cleanup...more
The Superior Court of Connecticut (“Court”) in a December 20th Memorandum of Trial Decision (“Memorandum”) addressed an issue arising out of the proposed sale of an industrial facility. See Candor Capital LLC v. Leeder Realty...more
On December 17, 2024, President Biden signed into law the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 (Public Law No. 118-155) (the “Act”). The Act is a response to ongoing environmental...more
Last week, EPA released two final rules under TSCA. The first rule bans all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE). The ban is subject to several temporary exemptions for certain uses under § 6(g) of TSCA. The second rule bans...more
Retail leasing attorneys face particular challenges when it comes to managing environmental liability, in large part because of the misconception that prospective commercial tenants cannot be held legally responsible for...more
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) aims to facilitate cleanup and accountability in hazardous waste sites. The Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser (BFPP) defense was introduced to...more
On October 21, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) published a Proposed Rule that would, among other things, amend the Administrative Requirements for the Remediation of Contaminated Sites, N.J.A.C....more
Contaminated and decrepit properties across the state will be transformed thanks to two programs awarding millions of dollars to address barriers to development, according to a press release from the governor’s office....more
In this article, we provide an overview of country-led and private sector-driven key developments surrounding the recent United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16). The world is progressively recognizing that biodiversity...more
A second Trump presidency may bring a renewed focus on deregulation and a reduction in federal oversight, which could have profound implications for brownfield redevelopment. Brownfields are previously developed sites, often...more
Brownfields play a pivotal but often underappreciated role in economic development. These underutilized or abandoned industrial or commercial sites, often burdened with real or perceived contamination, represent both a...more
My colleague Matt Donovan recently wrote about the requirements of Commercial Division Rule 13(c) and highlighted certain decisions in which expert reports were precluded for non-compliance. This week’s post looks at a...more
In a notable move to address growing concerns about contamination related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), New Hampshire recently enacted a law obligating real property owners to notify prospective purchasers...more
On August 28, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued a “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Sampling Fact Sheet” (Fact Sheet), setting forth several considerations for persons responsible...more
“Contaminants Compass” is a monthly newsletter that provides updates, legal observations and actionable tips to navigate the evolving legal challenges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This edition discusses how...more
Three years after a massive spill at a Los Angeles wastewater facility sent millions of gallons of sewage into Santa Monica Bay, the city has agreed to spend more than $20 million on improvements to remedy the environmental...more
Certain Band-Aid bandages are the focus of a recently filed lawsuit. A complaint (filed in Moultrie, 3:24-cv-4757, (D.N.J. Apr. 10, 2024)) alleges that Band-Aid Flexible Fabric and Ourtone (BR45, BR55, and BR65) bandages...more
Effective February 13, 2024, prospective purchasers and ground tenants of commercial and industrial property seeking liability protections under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act...more
In general, environmental law seeks to protect public health and the environment by providing for liability, compensation, cleanup, and emergency response to the release or disposal of hazardous substances. And more...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration – acting under its Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), as amended, 21 U.S.C. § 2201 et seq., to address the safety of all FMSA-covered produce other than sprouts (Covered Produce) – on...more
NJDEP is tasked with a multitude of responsibilities including overseeing statewide environmental governance through the divisions of Water Resource Management, Air Quality Energy and Materials Sustainability, Contaminated...more
On Friday,19 April 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule to designate two common per-and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid...more